If you return the iPhone 17 Pro and simply move on from the Apple Upgrade program, then your total cost to own the device would be $551.88 after 12 months, plus sales tax if applicable. While that is less than paying $1,099 upfront, the catch is that you are no longer in possession of the device after your lease ends and cannot resell it or trade it in.
Seems like it’s just designed to keep people buying new hardware regularly.
$38.99 * 36 = $1403.64. That doesn’t seem right.
Macrumors has a more detailed analysis (different device in their example):
Seems like it’s just designed to keep people buying new hardware regularly.